


Job Insecurity

by itachitachi



Series: Summer Pornathon '10 [4]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Denial, Hate Sex, M/M, Oblivious Merlin, POV Minor Character, Team Gluttony, i can't believe no one on the ao3 has tagged morris by name yet??, the perils of manservanthood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-03
Updated: 2014-09-03
Packaged: 2018-02-15 23:34:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2247570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itachitachi/pseuds/itachitachi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It wasn't as if Merlin had ever applied for the position of Arthur's manservant. He had downright <i>stolen</i> it, and that wasn't fair at all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Job Insecurity

**Author's Note:**

> For Pthon 2010 week 4: non-M/A! Ahh old pthon, back when it wasn't non-M/A week every week. :)

Morris had learned at a young age that life was not very fair, but this took the cake.

"I've been sacked?" he asked the steward incredulously. "How could I be sacked? I haven't done anything wrong!"

"You've been replaced, the King's orders," the steward said, not looking up from his accounts. "I'll see if there's a place available elsewhere for you. The stables, perhaps."

The stables, Morris thought furiously. The _stables_ , when just yesterday he'd been a member of the royal household, the prince's own manservant. He'd thought it a lucky break when he was chosen to take up the position seemingly out of the blue, but it turned out he'd been cast aside just as suddenly.

\----

"I don't even understand it," he moaned to Elsie, one of the lower laundresses. "I was the best servant he's ever had. I lasted more than a month! I could probably even have lasted two!"

"There, there," Elsie said. "Though I do think this will be better for you in the long run. You can start looking for a career that actually interests you."

"I liked being part of the royal household," Morris said petulantly.

"No you didn't," Elsie said warmly, and patted his cheek. "Better for that new country fellow to have to deal with His Royal Pratliness, so you can get on with your life."

" _New country fellow_?!" Morris repeated. "You mean they _actually_ gave the job to that bumpkin who attacked the Prince in the streets?"

"Seems so," Elsie said. "Perhaps you should go thank him for defending your honour that day in the square."

Morris flushed red. "I had it under control!"

\----

And he _had_. No honour-defending was necessary. You could take a little ribbing if you were the prince's manservant; it was practically part of the job description. The stupid bumpkin jumping into the fray had cocked everything up. And now Morris was out of a job.

"I'll never forgive him," Morris muttered, pacing outside the court physician's chambers where he'd heard the bumpkin had been staying. "Never forgive him, I'll never—"

"You'll never forgive who?"

Morris jumped. It was none other than the big-eared bumpkin himself, looking deceptively wide-eyed and innocent. Well, Morris could see beneath that doe-like exterior.

Gathering his courage, Morris was just about to stretch out his hand and say dramatically, _YOU!_ , when the bumpkin abruptly perked. "Hey!" he said, "You're that servant from the square! Doing alright now?"

"I'm _fine_ ," Morris said hotly. He could feel a flush on his cheeks. "I'm just here to tell you that you won't last a day as the prince's manservant!"

"Yeah, I don't think so either," the bumpkin laughed, rubbing the back of his head. "I'm not really looking forward to it."

Hah, perfect! Morris would be ready to snatch up his rightful place as soon as the bumpkin failed.

"So…" the bumpkin was saying, eyeing Morris in a peculiar way. "Why did you _really_ come up here? I'm sure you're busy."

Morris's cheeks went redder. The boy was taunting him for being unemployed!

"Maybe you've come to, _you know_ —" the bumpkin grinned widely and bumped his hip into Morris's, "—show me around the castle?"

"Fine," Morris scowled. Already using his new position to order lesser servants around, eh? The bumpkin was more cunning than Morris had given him credit for.

\----

And also far more talented with his mouth.

They'd only been wandering for ten minutes or so, Morris reluctantly guiding the bumpkin around the kitchen, and then the laundries, and then through a dim, deserted wing on the way to the stables. All Morris had said was "no one really comes into this wing", and suddenly the bumpkin had spun and pinned him into a dark corner.

"Enough with the teasing," the bumpkin had said, eyes very blue and smile very dimply as he backed Morris flush up against the wall.

"Um?" Morris had said, and then they were kissing madly.

\----

"And then he did this thing," Morris said blankly.

"A thing?" Elsie asked.

"This thing with his tongue," Morris said. "It was… talented."

Elsie smirked at him. "Sounds like you had fun. Planning on doing it again?"

"What?!" Morris jerked ramrod straight. "No. Are you kidding? _No_."

\----

Except he did. Of course he did.

\----

"I _hate_ you," Morris gritted out, grinding against the jerk of country-boy hips. "I hate you _so much_."

"What? Why?" the bumpkin asked, hoarse and curious against the curve of Morris's jaw, but Morris just turned his mouth to the side a little and caught that unfairly full lower lip with his teeth.

If seduction was what it took to get his job back, well then, that's what Morris would do!

\----

"Oh," the bumpkin said, when they were panting into each others' shoulders afterward. "This is a little awkward, but—um. I never caught your name."

"It's Morris," he said grouchily, thinking, _Typical_.


End file.
